Containers and packages for facial tissues and the like



g- 29, 1957 M. DONOVAN 3,338,469

CONTAINERS AND PACKAGES FOR FACIAL TISSUES AND THE LIKE Filed March 16,1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l 29, 1967 M. DONOVAN 3,338,469

CONTAINERS AND PACKAGES FOR FACIAL TISSUES AND THE LIKE Filed March 16,1,965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Iatent O 3,338,469 CONTAINERS ANDPACKAGES FOR FACIAL TISSUES AND THE LIKE Marion Donovan, Southport,Conn. (435 E. 52nd St., New York, N.Y. 10022) Filed Mar. 16, 1965, Ser.No. 440,213 2 Claims. (Cl. 22147) This invention relates to containersfor facial tissues and similar articles which comprise folded structuresmade of a sheet material such as paper, non-woven fabric and the like.Articles of this type include, in addition to facial tissues, such itemsas towels and industrial wipers. However, for the purposes of thepresent specification such items will be referred to as tissues.

This invention constitutes an improvement in containers and in packagesembodying such containers intended especially for use with tissues whichbecome of the particular manner in which they are folded or assembledtend to form a stack which is taller along one edge portion than alongthe opposite parallel edge portion. For example, the present inventionis particularly well adapted for use as a container for, and in theproduction of packages containing, tissues of the type disclosed in myUS. Patent 3,007,605, granted Nov. 6, 1961. It will be understoodhowever, that the present invention is by no means limited to thespecific tissue construction therein disclosed but rather is adapted foruse in connection with any tissue which, like that shown in my saidpatent, is thicker along one marginal edge portion than it is along theopposite parallel edge portion.

Tissues of the type shown in my patent aforesaid have two grasping tabslying upon the upper surface of the body of each tissue, one of which isof a .two ply thickness and the other of which is of one-ply thickness.Since it is desired to have all of the single-ply tabs available alongone edge of the opening in the top of the container and all of thetwo-ply tabs available along the other edge, it is not practicable toalternate the positioning of the tissues so as to form a stack oftriangular shape. Therefore when a quantity of such tissues are stackedvertically as shown in my patent aforesaid, the edge portion of suchstack which corresponds with the positioning of the twoply tabs will betaller than the edge portion which corresponds with the positioning ofthe single-ply tabs. When a two-ply facial tissue is folded as shown inmy patent aforesaid, one longitudinal marginal portion thereof will befour plys in thickness whereas the opposite marginal portion will bethree plys in thickness. Such a stack of tissues does not fit withuniform firmness in the conventional rectangular container and maybecome disarranged during the course of shipment to the consumer.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container whichnot only is shaped to substantially conform to the shape of the stack oftissues to be positioned therein, but which also provides a number ofadditional advantages for the manufacturer in the formation of packagesfor shipping and sale as well as advantages in convenience, economy,attractive appearance and source identification for the consumer. Thisobject is achieved by the provision of a container which is trapezoidalin cross section in the transverse vertical plane to correspondsubstantially with the cross-sectional shape of a stack of tissues ofthe types discussed above and which is rectangular in cross section inthe longitudinal vertical plane and in the horizontal plane whereby twosuch containers may be superimposed in reversed positions to form a twinpackage unit which is rectangular in all three planes. The twin packageunits may be packed in conventional shipping containers and, whenunpacked, may be easily stacked on the retailers shelves. They may besold at an economical price related to the double quantity of tissueswhile the consumer enjoys the benefit of two half-size packages whichremain neater in appearance while in use and which may be put intosimultaneous use in difierent portions of the home. Furthermore, if sodesired, the manufacturers name or trademark and other pertinentinformation may be permanently imprinted on the individual containers soas to be displayed for sales purposes but concealed with the separateelements of the package are in use. Also, the manufacturer may providepermanent access openings in the sloping walls of the individualcontainers which are concealed to protect the contents when the packageis displayed and sold but which are available to the user without theneed for tearing out a perforated area or the like, as is so frequentlyrequired with tissue packages heretofore available.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from a consideration of the following detaileddescription of preferred, but not necessarily the only, forms of theinvention, taken in connection with the drawings forming a part of theirspecification.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an erected container made in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a blank from which the container shown in FIG.1 is erected;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a package comprising a container such asthat shown in FIG. 1 having a stack of folded sheets therein;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 44 inFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective exploded view of a rectangular sales or shippingpackage comprising two individual packages such as that shown in FIG. 3arranged in nested relation; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing a modification of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the container 10 shown inFIG. 1 is erected from a blank 12 shown in FIG. 2. The blank 12 may beformed from any suitable sheet material, for example cardboard, by anycustomary cutting, scoring, and creasing and it may be printed if sodesired. The blank 12 includes a bottom panel 14, a side panel 16 whichis hinged to the the bottom panel 14 along a score line 18 and anopposite side panel 20 hinged to the bottom panel 14 along a score line22. The blank 12 also includes end panels 24 and 28 hinged respectivelyto the bottom panel 14 along score lines 26 and 30. i

The side panel 16 has hinged at the opposite ends thereof, glue flaps 32and 36 which are hinged along score lines 34 and 38 respectively. Theside panel 20 has at the opposite ends thereof glue flaps 40 and 44hinged along score lines 42 and 46 respectively. Desirably but notnecessarily the combined lengths of the glue flaps 32 and 40 at one endof the blank 12 as well as the combined lengths of the glue flaps 36 and44 at the other end of the blank are approximately equal, respectively,to the length of the score lines 26 and 30 along which the end panels 24and 28 are hinged to the bottom panel 14. Thus, preferably, when thebank 12 is erected and the glue flaps aforesaid are positioned incontact with the inner surface of the end panels 24 and 28 the ends ofsuch glue flaps will fall into approximately abutting relation as shownin FIG. 1. The preferred construction just described serves in wellknown manner to provide relatively stifi, reinforced end walls for thecontainer which are made up of the end panels 24 and 28 with the glueflaps 32, 40 and 36, 44 respectively adhesively secured thereto.

The blank 12 is also provided with four top panels which are to beadhesively united to form a top wall for he container and to provide anopening of appropriately 'estricted area in such top wall for access tothe contents )f the container. Thus, the side wall 16 has hinged theretotlOIlg a score line 48, a top panel 50 while the side panel 20 hashinged thereto along a score line 52, a top panel 54. The end panel 24has hinged thereto along a score vine 56, a top panel while the endpanel 28 has hinged :hereto along a score line 60, a top panel 62. Whenthe :ontainer is erected by first adhesively uniting the end walls 24and 28 with their respective glue flaps 32, 40 and 36, 44, the contentsof the package, for example a stack of folded sheets, is inserted withthe bottom of the stack resting upon the bottom panel 14. Thereafter thetop panels 58 and 62 are folded inwardly over the contents and lastlythe top panels 50 and 54 are folded inwardly over and adhesively securedto the top panels 58 and 62.

Referring nOW to FIG. 3 a package comprising a container 10 like thatshown in FIG. 1 and a stack 66 of folded sheet material is illustrated.The stack 66 of sheet material may consist of a stack of facial tissues,paper towels, industrial wipers or the like folded in some manner suchthat one longitudinal extending side of the stack tends to become tallerthan the other. For example the folded sheet material may be folded inthe manner illustrated in my U .8. Patent 3,007,605, granted Nov. 6,1961. As disclosed in said patent each facial tissue or similar productis made up of one or more relatively large sheets of paper or the likewhich are first folded along a line which is removed from but parallelwith a center line of the sheet or sheets so as to form essentially atwo-ply structure. A second fold is made along a line parallel with andreasonably adjacent to the first fold line to form a two-ply tab whichlies upon the upper surface of the main body of the structure. Thestructure is next folded along a line parallel with and reasonablyadjacent to the edge of a single-ply portion of the structure so as toform a single-ply tab lying upon the upper surface of the main body ofthe structure. Preferably the last-men tioned fold is made in the upperply so that the single-ply tab aforesaid lies upon itself and on thesame upper surface of the structure as the double-ply tab firstmentioned. Also preferably the last-mentioned fold line is reasonablyclosely aligned vertically with the terminal edge of the lower ply. As aresult of the folding of each tissue in the manner just described itwill be apparent that one longitudinal marginal edge portion of thecompleted tissue will be four plys in thickness whereas the oppositelongitudinal marginal edge portion will be three plys in thickness.Obviously when a stack of a few hundred such tissues is formed, theheight of the stack along one longitudinal edge portion will tend to begreater than the other by a ratio of 4 to 3.

In FIG. 4 of the drawings there is illustrated a stack of tissues of thetype just described positioned within a container such as that shown inFIG. 1. The double-ply tabs 68 are positioned along one marginal edgeportion of the stack of tissues while the single-ply tabs 7 arepositioned along the opposite marginal edge portion thereof. It will benoted in FIG. 4 that the terminal edge of the lower ply of each tissueis indicated by the reference numeral 72.

By referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 it will be observed that the inneredges 51, 55, 59 and 63 of the top panels 50, '54, 58 and 60respectively serve to'define an opening which is generally referred toby reference numeral 64. As shown in FIG. 3 the opening 64 is soproportioned and positioned as to afford access to both of the tabs 68and 70 which lie upon the upper surface of the uppermost tissue in thestack 66. As disclosed in my Patent 3,007,605 the purpose of providingthe optionally available single-ply and double-ply tabs 68 and 70, bothexposed for grasping through the opening 64, is that when the double-plytab 68 is grasped the folded tissue may be extracted through opening 64in a two-ply configuration whereas when the tissue is grasped by thesingle-ply tab 76 and withdrawn through the opening 64 the tissue willautomatically unfold into a single-ply configuration. When the tissuespositioned in the package of the present invention are of theconstruction and for the purpose just described it may be desired toprint suitable indicia on the container in such position as to indicatewhich tabs should be grasped for the purpose of obtaining the tissue inthe respectively available configurations. Thus as shown in FIG. 3indicia which may consist of the word single may be imprinted adjacentthe edge of the opening 64 which lies closest to the single-ply tabs 70of the tissues within the container and indicia 76 which may comprisethe word double may be similarly imprinted adjacent the edge of theopening 64 which lies closest to the double-ply tabs 68.

While the present container is particularly suitable for the packagingof folded tissues such as those just described it will be appreciatedthat it has equal applicability for use with stacks of folded sheetmaterial of any configuration such that they end to build stacks ofunequal height along opposed marginal edges. Paper towels and papernapkins, for example, are frequently so folded as to provide on eitheror both the upper and lower surfaces one or more tabs which are sorelated to the folded body that irrespective of the manner or directionin which or from which they are grasped the towel or napkin neverthelesswill be delivered in exactly the same configuration. In such cases thetowels or napkins may be stacked in any direction within a containerwith the assurance that one or more tabs will be available at adispensing opening and with the further assurance that the foldedarticle will be delivered in the specifically desired configuration. Ithas been observed that a number of towels or napkins folded as justdescribed have differing numbers of plys adjacent opposed marginal edgesand the container of the present invention may be adapted to form newand useful packages for such articles.

The container of the present invention is provided with opposed sidewalls formed respectively from the panels 16 and 20 which are ofdiffering vertical height (as viewed in FIG. 1) the difference in heightbeing proportional, or approximately so, to the differing thickness ofthe opposed marginal edge portions of the product to be packaged. Thus,in the illustrated example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the tissues have afour-ply thickness along one edge and a three-ply thickness along theopposed edge. In such a case the ratio between the height of the wallsformed from the panels 16 and 20, respectively, is preferablyapproximately 4 to 3. Thus the blank shown in FIG. 2 illustrativelyprovides panels 16 and 20 having such ratio and the glue flaps, endwalls and top panels are respectively so shaped and proportioned as tocooperate in the formation of a box having a sloping top and across-sectional shape suitable for the packaging of a stack of tissuesof the type just mentioned.

From a consideration of FIG. 4 it will be apparent that the stack oftissues 66 may be fitted with approximately uniform snugness within thecontainer 10. This is in contrast with the fitting of such a stack in acontainer having a rectangular cross section in which case the tissuesmust be either so snugly fitted vertically in the zone of the twoplytabs 68 as to be difficult to remove one at a time or must be so looselyfitted in the zone of the one-ply tabs 7 0 as to present the risk ofdisarrangernent in shipment.

It will 'be understood that the specific proportion between parts ofcontainer 10 will be determined by the form of the stack of tissues tobe placed therein. In laying out the blank shown in FIG. 2 it will benecessary only to properly relate the relative heights of the panels 16and 20 with the angles alpha and beta to provide a container in whichthe edges and fold lines will fall into registry as required forreliable operation in conventional automatic setting-up machines.

As shown in FIG. 5 a container 10 as just described may be nested withan identical container 110 in a position such that high wall 20 of thecontainer is in vertical alignment with the low wall 116 of thecontainer 110. When thus nested the two containers will form a twinpackage which is rectangular in all vertical and horizontal planes.While the two containers are shown in exploded relation in FIG. 5 itwill be understood that the sloping top walls of both will be broughtinto face-to-face contact whereby the access openings, such as theopening 64 in container 10, will be concealed and closed off. The twocontainers 10 and 110 may be secured in nested position by any suitablemeans such as a band, tube or wrapper indicated generally at 77.Preferably such securing means is made of transparent sheet material,such as regenerated cellulose, polyethylene or the like. Also,preferably the securing means 77 is so constructed as to be readilyremovable from the enclosed containers 10 and 110 without disfiguringthe surfaces of the containers. A simple tubular sleeve of transparentsheet material which may be readily formed upon or slipped endwise overthe nested containers 10 and 110 is believed to be the most practicaland economical form of securing means 77.

The manufacturers name or a trademark as well as other indicia may beprinted, as shown at 78, upon the bottom panels of each of thecontainers 10 and 110 where it will be readily visible through thetransparent securing means 77 for purposes of display. Nothing need beprinted upon any of the other walls of the containers, except, if sodesired, the functional indicia 74 and 76 (FIG. 3). In such a case theseparated containers 10 and 110 may be free of any advertizing oridentifying indicia on the walls which are visible when the separatedpackages are in normal use. However, the printed indicia 78 may bereferred to at any time by simply inverting the container. This is incontrast with packages which provide identifying indicia only upon aremovable overwrap which is discarded when the package is put into use,leaving nothing to serve as a guide to the purchaser at the time a newpackage is needed.

A modified form of the invention is shown in FIG. 6 wherein an accessopening is provided or defined in the horizontal rather than in thesloping wall of the container. Thus, an opening 364 is shown in a wall80 in a container 310. The wall 80 may correspond generally with thewall 14 in a blank similar to the blank shown in FIG. 2 in which eventthe opening 364 may be cut out of the blank or may be defined by linesof perforations as may be desired. Also, in such a case the flaps 50,54, 58 and 62 -may be so shaped as to meet or overlap to form a closedbottom for the container. However it is preferred to make the container310 from a blank very similar to that shown in FIG. 2 'but whichprovides an opening 364 defined by the edges of flaps which are broughttogether to form a sloping wall, rather than the horizontal wall formedby the flaps shown in FIG. 2. The alterations required for that purposewill be apparent to those skilled in the art.'

The package made up, as shown in FIG. 6 from two containers 210 and 310may be secured by a band, wrapper or sleeve (not shown) as describedabove in connection with FIG. 5. When such securing means is made oftransparent material it will permit inspection of the contents when thepackage is on display and at the same time it will protect the contentsfrom contamination. If inspection is not deemed necessary, the securingmeans may be made from opaque material or the access opening 364 may bemerely defined by lines of perforations to be ruptured by the user whenrequired.

The containers 210 and 310 afford an unusual and striking appearancewhen in use inasmuch as the corners thereof are made up of fold lineswhich slant rather than extend vertically from the surface upon whichthe container rests when the access opening 364 is exposed. As in thecase of the containers shown in FIG. 5, the

containers shown in FIG. 6 may be provided with functional indicia onthe exposed panels and with identifying indicia (not shown) on the wallwhich it concealed when the separated containers are in use. However, inthis case it may be advisable for the manufacturer also to provideidentifying indicia, trademarks and the like upon the band, wrapper orsleeve which serves to hold the twin package in rectangular form duringshipment and display.

I claim:

1. A package for facial tissues and the like comprising two separatecontainers each having a stack of folded sheet material such as tissuespositioned therein, each of the tissues within each of said stacks beingfolded into rectangular planar form in such manner as to have a greaternumber of superimposed layers in an area adjacent one edge than in anarea adjacent the opposite edge and the areas of said tissues having thegreater number of layers being in vertical registry in each stackwhereby each stack is taller along one vertical side than it is alongthe opposite side, each of said containers having rectangular top andbottom walls and rectangular side walls extending vertically from saidbottom wall, one of said side walls projecting from said bottom wall fora distance coinciding with the height of the taller portion of the stackof tissues positioned in said container and the other of said side Wallsprojecting from said botom wall for a distance coinciding with theheight of the shorter portion of the stack of tissues in said container,said top wall of each of said containers extending from the upper edgeof the taller of said side walls to the upper edge of the shorter ofsaid side walls to lie in a plane which is inclined with respect to theplane of the bottom Wall of said container, and each of said containershaving end walls extending vertically from opposite ends of said bottomwall to opposite ends of said inclined top wall, each of said inclinedtop walls of said containers being made up of flaps secured together andthe inner edges of which define an opening aflfording access to thetissues within the associated container, and means for securing saidcontainers together with the inclined top walls thereof in face-to-facerelation and with the taller and shorter side walls of one of saidcontainers in vertical registry respectively with the shorter and tallerwalls of the other of said containers whereby to form a package in whichsaid access openings are unexposed and which is rectangular in crosssection in all three axial planes thereof.

2. A package in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for securingsaid containers together comprises a disposable wrapper of sheetmaterial encircling the two containers in at least one planeperpendicular to the bottom walls of said containers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 718,058 1/1903 Sexton 221-631,369,930 3/ 1921 McCorkindage 221-47 1,633,865 6/1927 Lorenz 221-631,678,339 7/1928 Horwitt 221-35 1,753,569 4/1930 Irving 221-58 2,332,67310/1943 Shelley 221-34 2,446,366 8/ 1948 Epps.

2,624,456 1/1953 Taylor 221-63 2,794,548 6/ 1957 Schaefer.

3,007,605 11/1961 Donovan 221-47 3,083,866 4/1963 Strange 221-48 WALTERSOBIN, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 3: V Dd August 29,

Inventor (5) Marion Donovan It is certified that error appears in theabove-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

Col. 1, line 18 "become" should be --because-- Col. 1, line &0"trianghlar" should be --rectangular- Col. 2, line 8' "with" should be-when-- Signed and seeled this 2nd day of May 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLE'ICHER,JR. ROBERT GOTISCHALK Attesting Officer Commissionerof Patents FORM po'wso uscoMM-oc ensue-Pee Q US. GOVIRIIIIUIT PIHIYHIGOFllfil'v I"! O-IOl-Sll

1. A PACKAGE FOR FACIAL TISSUES AND THE LIKE COMPRISING TWO SEPARATECONTAINERS EACH HAVING A STACK OF FOLDED SHEET MATERIAL SUCH AS TISSUESPOSITIONED THEREIN, EACH OF THE TISSUES WITHIN EACH OF SAID STACKS BEINGFOLDED INTO RECTANGULAR PLANAR FORM IN SUCH MANNER AS TO HAVE A GREATERNUMBER OF SUPERIMPOSED LAYERS IN AN AREA ADJACENT ONE EDGE THAN IN ANAREA ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE EDGE AND THE AREAS OF SAID TISSUES HAVING THEGREATER NUMBER OF LAYERS BEING IN VERTICAL REGISTRY IN EACH STACKWHEREBY EACH STACK IS TALLER ALONG ONE VERTICAL SIDE THAN IT IS ALONGTHE OPPOSITE SIDE, EACH OF SAID CONTAINERS HAVING RECTANGULAR TOP ANDBOTTOM WALLS AND RECTANGULAR SIDE WALLS EXTENDING VERTICALLY FROM SAIDBOTTOM WALL, ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS PROJECTING FROM SAID BOTTOM WALL FORA DISTANCE COINCIDING WITH THE HEIGHT OF THE TALLER PORTION OF THE STACKOF TISSUES POSITIONED IN SAID CONTAINER AND THE OTHER OF SAID SIDE WALLSPROJECTING FROM SAID BOTTOM WALL FOR A DISTANCE COINCIDING WITH THEHEIGHT OF THE SHORTER PORTION OF THE STACK OF TISSUES IN SAID CONTAINER,SAID TOP WALL OF EACH OF SAID CONTAINERS EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER EDGEOF THE TALLER OF SAID SIDE WALLS TO THE UPPER EDGE OF THE SHORTER OFSAID SIDE WALLS TO LIE IN A PLANE WHICH IS INCLINED WITH RESPECT TO THEPLANE OF THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID CONTAINER, AND EACH OF SAID CONTAINERSHAVING END WALLS EXTENDING VERTICALLY FROM OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID BOTTOMWALL TO OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID INCLINED TOP WALL, EACH OF SAID INCLINEDTOP WALLS OF SAID CONTAINERS BEING MADE UP OF FLAPS SECURED TOGETHER ANDTHE INNER EDGES OF WHICH DEFINE AN OPENING AFFORDING ACCESS TO THETISSUES WITHIN THE ASSOCIATED CONTAINER, AND MEANS FOR SECURING SAIDCONTAINERS TOGETHER WITH THE INCLINED TOP WALLS THEREOF IN FACE-TO-FACERELATION AND WITH THE TALLER AND SHORTER SIDE WALLS OF ONE OF SAIDCONTAINERS IN VERTICAL REGISTRY RESPECTIVELY WITH THE SHORTER AND TALLERWALLS OF THE OTHER OF SAID CONTAINERS WHEREBY TO FORM A PACKAGE IN WHICHSAID ACCESS OPENINGS ARE UNEXPOSED AND WHICH IS RECTANGULAR IN CROSSSECTION IN ALL THREE AXIAL PLANES THEREOF.